Assistant Professor of Social Science
Radboud University
Netherlands

Employment0.8 - 1.0 FTE

Gross monthly salary€ 3,974 - € 6,181

Required backgroundPhD

Organizational unitFaculty of Social Sciences

Application deadline11 September 2023

 

Are you an enthusiastic researcher and lecturer with an empirically oriented background related to digitalisation in work environments? If so, then our vacancy for an assistant professor may be for you! As part of an interdisciplinary team conducting research on the human factor in new technologies, you will focus on how technologies in work environments rearrange existing responsibilities, how employees make decisions in relation to those responsibilities, and how this may lead to both opportunities and challenges.

We are looking for an assistant professor in the Work and Organisational Psychology department with a focus on the relations between work, digitalisation and responsibility. Digitalisation has a profound impact on work tasks and work experience, including for example administrative systems, cybersecurity and privacy, hybrid working, and artificial intelligence. Digitalisation may change perceptions and practices around accountability and responsibility, for example when employees become responsible for managing data, are evaluated based on data, have to decide whether to report a privacy problem, or receive advice from decision support systems based on artificial intelligence. Problematic use of digital technologies, including for example bureaucratisation, the use of 'shadow IT', or biased algorithms, may impact values such as mental health, safety/security, and fairness. To understand the impact of digitalisation and improve the design and implementation of systems, it is crucial to increase our understanding of the psychological mechanisms that determine which digital technologies are used and how. In addition, the focus may be on the felt responsibility for acting upon problems created by digitalisation in work environments, such as phishing e-mails and biased algorithms.

We offer a combined (50%) teaching and (50%) research position. You will contribute to the Work, Health and Performance (WHP) research programme, the Bachelor's degree programme in Psychology (domain: Behaviour and Environment), the Master's degree programme in Work, Organization and Health (WOH), and/or the Research Master's programme in Behavioural Science. You will supervise students in thesis projects at the Bachelor's and Master's levels. Teaching will be in both English and Dutch (if necessary after taking applicable language courses) .

You will be expected to regularly apply for external grant-based funding. You will also be expected to participate in management tasks, including committee memberships, selection committees and recruitment activities. In particular, you are expected to take part in activities related to the theme 'The human factor in new technologies' of the sector plans in the social sciences and Radboud University's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society (iHub).

Profile

• You hold a PhD degree in work and organisational psychology, other disciplines of psychology, human-technology interaction or another relevant discipline.
• You have a strong motivation and relevant background to work on the theme 'The human factor in new technologies'.
• You have a good track record in scientific research as evidenced by peer-reviewed publications in international academic journals and/or conferences.
• You have good skills in diverse and advanced research methods and techniques, and you embrace the values of open science and strive for replicable and transparent research.
• You have the ability and willingness to regularly apply for external grant funding. Evidence of successful grant applications will be a plus.
• You have an inspiring teaching style and expertise in teaching at an academic level, a university teaching qualification (UTQ), or the willingness to obtain a UTQ as soon as possible.
• You have an excellent command of written and spoken English (at C1 level); a good command of spoken and written Dutch (or the willingness to learn Dutch within two years) is strongly preferred.
• You are a team player who is enthusiastic about team science,  has good social, communication and organisational skills, and is willing to contribute to organisational tasks.
• You are enthusiastic about presenting your research to a broader audience and reflecting on the practices in our own department and university based on research in the field.

We are

The Work, Health and Performance programme examines human behaviour in the increasingly dynamic context of work and organisations. Our theoretical aim is to advance our understanding of work behaviour and related cognitive, affective and motivational processes by integrating perspectives from different (psychological) disciplines. Our aim is to use this knowledge to positively influence antecedents, processes and outcomes of healthy and safe working in current and future society. We conduct laboratory experiments, longitudinal field studies and applied intervention and implementation studies, and combine self-report measures with objective behavioural, psycho-physiological, and/or neurocognitive measurements. We use open science practices, value and contribute to (interdisciplinary) team science, and collaborate intensively with partners in academia and beyond. You will participate in a lively team of around 25 members who are working on topics such as stress, fatigue, recovery, motivation, new ways of working, healthy and safe working, injustice, and physical activity/inactivity. The atmosphere in our group is open, positive, collaborative and inclusive. The group meets weekly for inspiring research meetings.

The Behavioural Science Institute (BSI) is a multidisciplinary research institute and one of the three research institutes in the Faculty of Social Sciences at Radboud University. Our researchers collaborate across the boundaries of psychology, educational science and communication science. Our mission is to strengthen people through understanding the foundations of human behaviour, by creating synergy between different paradigms and by facilitating craftsmanship, curiosity and connection in academic research. BSI has seven research programmes covering three major research themes: human development, connection and health. BSI conducts fundamental as well as applied/translational research and has excellent facilities and support for lab and field research. Moreover, BSI is known for its successful graduate school and strong commitment to open science. 

The School of Psychology (PSY) has approximately 1,800 students. The Bachelor's degree programme in Psychology is a popular international programme with a yearly admission of about 600 students. The Master's degree programme in Psychology has three specialisations that help students prepare for an academic or professional career: Work, Organisation and Health; Health Care Psychology; and Behaviour Change. PSY offers Research Master's programmes in Behavioural Science (in association with BSI) and Cognitive Neuroscience (in association with the Donders Institute).

iHub is Radboud University's interdisciplinary research hub on digitalisation and society. iHub brings together a diverse range of scholars from the humanities, social sciences, engineering and natural sciences to tackle urgent questions raised by the increased digitalisation and datafication of science and society.

Radboud University

We are keen to meet critical thinkers who want to look closer at what really matters. People who, from their expertise, wish to contribute to a healthy, free world with equal opportunities for all. This ambition unites more than 24,000 students and 5,600 employees at Radboud University and requires even more talent, collaboration and lifelong learning. You have a part to play!

We offer

• It concerns an employment for 0.8 - 1.0 FTE.
• The gross monthly salary amounts to a minimum of €3,974 and a maximum of €6,181 based on a 38-hour working week, depending on previous education and number of years of relevant work experience (salary scale 11 or 12).
• You will receive 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus.
• It concerns a temporary employment for 1.5 years, with the possibility of permanency following a positive evaluation.
• You will be able to use our Dual Career and Family Care Services. Our Dual Career and Family Care Officer can assist you with family-related support, help your partner or spouse prepare for the local labour market, provide customized support in their search for employment and help your family settle in Nijmegen.
• Working for us means getting extra days off. In case of full-time employment, you can choose between 30 or 41 days of annual leave instead of the legally allotted 20.

Additional employment conditions

Work and science require good employment practices. This is reflected in Radboud University's primary and secondary employment conditions. You can make arrangements for the best possible work-life balance with flexible working hours, various leave arrangements and working from home. You are also able to compose part of your employment conditions yourself, for example, exchange income for extra leave days and receive a reimbursement for your sports subscription. And of course, we offer a good pension plan. You are given plenty of room and responsibility to develop your talents and realise your ambitions. Therefore, we provide various training and development schemes.

Would you like more information?

For questions about the position, please contact Wolter Pieters, Professor of Work, Organisations & Digital Technology at wolter.pieters [at] ru.nl.

Practical information and applying

You can apply until 11 September 2023, exclusively using the button below. Kindly address your application to Wolter Pieters. Please fill in the application form and attach the following documents:

• A letter of motivation.
• Your CV.

The first round of interview will take place on Monday 25 September. The second round of interviews will take place on Monday 9 October. You would preferably begin employment as soon as possible.
We can imagine you're curious about our application procedure. It offers a rough outline of what you can expect during the application process, how we handle your personal data and how we deal with internal and external candidates.